Ready, Set, Om! 14 Ways to Find Your Race-Day Calm

Stay in the moment when tackling a long-ass race with these tips from experts and athletes alike.

by Holly Bennett

As a writer, I often find myself drafting my post-race story in my head—whether for a future article or a social media post—as I swim, bike, and run along. It’s a tactic that, more often than not, leads to disappointment, since my recap inevitably needs to be revised and edited as the race goes on. On the flipside, the times when I have been able to truly stay in the moment, focused solely on the adventure at hand (rather than how I’ll recount it later), have been some of my most rewarding performances.

I know I’m not alone. Whatever types of distractions you experience while racing, it seems that most of us have them—and that we might be better served by learning to hone our focus and fully experience the moments we spend out on course. I reached out to a handful of experts (a pro triathlete, a triathlon coach, and two sport psychologists) to learn their tips and triggers for staying as present as possible during long-course racing. Their advice is varied, and arguably invaluable. Draw a bath, crank up your essential oil diffuser and have a read.

1) Build a base of mindfulness

"Just like physical training, mental training must be practiced diligently and consistently in order to execute it in a race-day scenario," says Dr. Gloria Petruzelli, Clinical Sport Psychologist and two-time IRONMAN finisher. "I recommend every athlete have a 'thought awareness practice' or mindfulness practice that helps them cultivate body-mind awareness. Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises, are some examples I recommend."

Professional triathlete and six-time IRONMAN 70.3 champion Emma-Kate Lidbury agrees. "People who aren’t familiar with IRONMAN or IRONMAN 70.3 often ask me, 'Don’t you get bored racing for that long?' It always makes me chuckle, since there’s actually so much to think about, and I think that in order to have your best race, it’s imperative you stay 'in the moment' all day long," she says. She adds that while it’s not easy to always stay focused, she has come to view it as brain training in the same way that she trains for sport. "You wouldn’t expect to rock up to an IRONMAN start line and have your best race if you’d not been training for months in advance," she adds. "Likewise, you can’t expect to stay present if you haven’t trained your brain."

2) Get a grip

Equally important to brain training is getting a grip on what causes you to lose focus in the first place, says Petruzelli. "When it comes to training your mental skills for triathlon, specifically becoming more present-moment focused, the first step is to become aware of when you are not in the moment and what exactly is pulling you out of being in the moment. I always say, 'You cannot change what you are not aware of.'"

3) Make room for mind chatter

Clinical Sport Psychologist and triathlete Dr. Mitchell Greene shares his own race experience to illustrate the concept of "mind chatter." "I was down on the water’s edge in Cozumel—about a half hour before the IRONMAN start—and right on cue, my 'mind chatter' showed up. I was reminded of the fact that people could track me online, that I was a sport psychologist and therefore I better not freak out, and that not finishing would be so disappointing," he recalls. Greene says his own experience has taught him that our mind starts chattering when it senses that we might a) not meet expectations, b) embarrass ourselves, or c) not 'look good' (come in last, DNF, etc.). It shows up for everyone at some level, so the key is learning how to make room for it rather then see it as a sign of weakness or cowardice.

4) Think small

Greene also mentions a tactic he calls "time traveling." "That’s when we think about past races and results and think about our upcoming races and results, thus losing sight of the bigger purpose—which is trying to discover something about ourselves and our smaller goals." He says that time traveling tends to backfire, and that he likes to teach athletes that when the moment gets big, they actually need to think small.

5) Stay process oriented

Lidbury finds that focusing on the details of the task at hand help her stay in the moment. She says that her best performances have been when she has been fully absorbed in the here and now, not thinking about anything else other than what her body needs to do to keep moving forwards and keep moving efficiently.

"One of my best experiences of this—of what psychologists refer to as 'flow'—was during my IRONMAN debut at IRONMAN Mallorca in 2015," she recalls. "When I think back on that race, it seemed to pass in a flash, but I was actually racing for 9.5 hours; 4.5 hours longer than I’d ever raced before! I attribute this to staying process oriented and present throughout almost the entire day. For example, in the swim, I thought of all the cues I needed to focus on in order to swim well; on the bike, I focused on nailing my hydration and nutrition and how best to pedal, stay aero, and stay comfortable; on the run, I thought about my form, how my body felt, what it needed, and how I was breathing. And the list goes on."

6) Shake out your brain

Lidbury also allowed her brain an occasional breather. "It’s impossible for the human brain to stay 100 percent focused for nine-plus hours straight, so I gave myself what I call 'brain shake outs,' where I just let my mind wander for a few moments. I’d have a one of these every hour or so, and that worked wonders. I practiced this on long training days, and as with most things, with practice it became well honed."

7) Bring it back to the exhale

According to Austin-based IRONMAN Certified Coach and long-time endurance athlete Carrie Barrett, staying present can boil down to this basic: breathing. "Much like in meditation, when I’m in the middle of a long run or ride, I’ll focus on an audible exhale. The inhale happens automatically, but I’ve found that focusing on the exhale keeps me centered and in the moment. It also relaxes me, since I know I’m not holding my breath or working too hard. I almost treat those moments like yoga. When I find myself struggling or working too hard (especially in an IRONMAN), I bring it back to the exhale."

8) Say it to make it so

Barrett also relies on a tried-and-true mantra to go the distance—for her, the words power, alignment, love, and energy. She says the words bring her strength and focus, and also provide physical and emotional cues. "The word love especially can sometimes bring me out of a funk if I’m in a dark space during a race," she explains. "I have love for the sport, for my body, for those who are cheering, and by testing my limits as an athlete, I’m creating a loving and open space."

9) Let go of what you can’t control

Likewise, Greene says that our race attitude—particularly the way we react to uncontrollable factors—can impact whether we get derailed or stay on track. "If we could control the results, everyone would finish a race in the time they desire. Since that’s obviously not the case, we need to break down a long race like IRONMAN into sub-goals (those aspects of the race that have actionable steps we can take directly). Typically, people think of physical goals when I talk to them about small sub-goals (riding at a certain pace, maintaining a certain heart rate, etc.). There’s nothing wrong with those types of goals, but I think just as important—if not more important—are our mental goals, which can help us keep our heads in the race. Part of the mental goal should include the idea that things will not go our way and some key ideas, words, and statements to keep from expending too much energy being pissed off, disappointed, or upset."

10) Practice radical acceptance

Petruzelli suggests that athletes train to use radical acceptance, which requires us to consciously acknowledge that we have done all we could to change, control, or manage a situation, and at this moment there is nothing more than could be done but accept the moment as it is. She says this allows us to accept the reality of what is, not what could be, should be, or ought to be.

11) Channel your alter ego

At times, however, a bit of fantasizing can serve us well. Barrett’s tricks include tapping into her alter ego for inspiration—to get outside of herself a little bit and become someone else. "If you’re struggling, create a character who isn’t. For me, the image of Deena Kastor in the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon has always stayed with me, so I channel my inner Deena during the run portions of races. During the Athens marathon, she started off slow and remained patient and determined throughout. She kept her white hat low and eventually ran her way from mid-pack to the Bronze medal. I use that image during races as a reminder to remain patient, stay within myself, and avoid getting caught up in what everyone else is doing."

12) Weather your emotions

Petruzelli stresses that a variety of factors can clamor for our focus, and it’s important to understand and react accordingly. "If feelings are pulling you out of the moment, remind yourself that feelings are not facts. Feelings and emotions are temporary, especially in a long race, so don’t let your race plan change because of emotions. Emotions are like the weather—you adapt to them until they pass. During a long race, remind yourself that emotions are a part of the process The ups and downs are a part of why we do these races."

13) Separate fact from fiction

"If thoughts are pulling you out of the moment," Petruzelli continues, "ask yourself, are they based in fact or fiction? Our thoughts are one or the other—i.e. I’m slowing off my goal pace (fact), or I’m blowing up and won’t be able to recover (fiction). Fictional thoughts can’t be proven in the moment and often take the form of judgments, assumptions, or catastrophic conclusions. Fictional thought patterns can trick an athlete into believing that they’re factual, because they typically pull in strong emotions."

14) Create a new moment

Finally, says Petruzelli, distraction can actually serve an in-the-moment purpose. "If physical sensations pull you out of the moment, distract yourself by repeating a mantra, singing a song, high-fiving volunteers or other competitors, or focusing on running or biking to that next aid station or mile marker. Basically, do anything distracting to take your focus off the pain or sensation." Bottom line, if the moment you’re in is painful, craft a new one.

Holly Bennett is a long-time freelance writer and triathlon journalist. When not immersed in her Mac, you’ll find her running, cycling, swimming, fine-tuning her foodie fascination, digging deep into a Malbec, or plotting her next active adventure around the world.